Instead of slouching towards graduation, teens can spend their senior year in high school building up goal-setting momentum. This means getting involved in projects that can challenge ones motivation. If you're a teen, you can also rev-up by sitting down with family members and coming up with a game plan that can help propel your life forward to the next level.
Most teens will have three things on their mind: Getting a job, attending school, or just taking time off. Both parents and teens need to remember that there's going to be an extensive search involved in deciding the future, and this includes numerous deadlines to meet for admissions programs if headed in that direction.
For teens, it’s highly advisable to begin making career decisions in the junior year of high school. This allows for plenty of room to change directions if necessary.
Good preparation for teens is also spending quality time listing goals in life, accomplishments, and what they think their strengths and weaknesses are-even if the decision hasn’t been made on what route to take after graduation.
If you’re a parent, you can help with the search and direct teens to the internet, guidebooks, and school counselors. The family can even start planning trips to campuses of interest. Planning early enough allows teens to examine a multitude of options such as; joining the military for specific training, internships, and even taking time off.
Let’s face it; some teens can use a little time between high school and the "real world".
Don’t overlook the local library either for finding helpful information. There's a lot of knowledge to be found on library book shelves, so make it a point to spend time dusting off a few books. And, keep in mind, the library personnel are more than willing to help.
Even volunteering for some type of community or international service can be of tremendous benefit in both the short and long run. The more experience a teen has with working and interacting with people of different backgrounds, the better. This experience can be useful in weighing the decision to attend school away from home.
Truth is; if you’re a teen in high school, there are a lot of things you can do to get ready for the next phase of your life-even if it's still a mystery.
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